The Asiwaju of Oke-Amu Land and Bobagunwa of Ipapo, Dr (Chief) Mukaila Adewale Oseni has said that Nigeria’s growing social and economic challenges will persist unless citizens accept personal responsibility and uphold moral values.
The Asiwaju of Oke Amu Land, Alhaji Oseni made this statement on Sunday while delivering the keynote address at the 2025 Aafaakallahu Annual Colloquium organised by the Gifting Without Borders Foundation at the UNILAG Central Mosque Event Hall, Akoka–Yaba, Lagos.
The event, held in commemoration of the birthday of Islamic scholar Sheikh Abd. Razaq Mubashir Woleola (Aafaakallahu), the program drew scholars, clerics, professionals, academics, students and community leaders from different parts of the country.
Speaking on the theme; “Becoming the Change: Personal Responsibility in a Time of National Uncertainty,” Oseni said inflation, unemployment, insecurity and declining public trust responsible for anxiety. He cautioned citizens that blaming the government alone would not solve the nation’s problems.
He said, “Nations do not change merely because policies change; nations change because people change. No nation can rise above the character of its people.”
The Bobagunwa of Ipapo Land, Alhaji Oseni described Nigeria as a country in a critical crossroads, noting that uncertainty has become a shared experience for traders battling inflation, graduates searching for jobs and public servants working under intense pressure.
According to Oseni, national uncertainty should not be seen only as a crisis but also as a mirror reflecting weakened values and everyday compromises.
To drive home his message, he recounted a personal experience from his student days in Oyo State, which he said shaped his understanding of conscience and responsibility.
Alhaji Oseni explained that while schooling in Oyo, he lived in a rented apartment but left the town without paying the house rent, despite the landlord’s warning that he would one day collect the money.
Alhaji Oseni said years later, while listening to a lecture by Sheikh Aafaakallahu on the consequences of owing people and the punishment such individuals could face in the hereafter, his conscience was deeply troubled.
“I could not find peace,” he said, adding that the lecture compelled him to travel back to Oyo after several years to locate the landlord and pay the outstanding rent.
He described the experience as a powerful reminder that integrity demands action, even when it is inconvenient.
He urged Nigerians to resist cynicism, shortcuts and distractions, stressing that becoming the change means embodying ethical standards in daily life rather than merely complaining about leadership.
“In uncertain times, character becomes currency. When trust in institutions declines, trustworthiness in individuals must rise,” he said.
Drawing from Islamic teachings, he emphasised that inner reform must precede social reform, noting that lasting national transformation begins with personal accountability.
He called on Nigerians to choose discipline over excuses and conscience over convenience, insisting that small ethical choices, when repeated across society, could reshape the nation’s future.
He commended the Gifting Without Borders Foundation for sustaining the annual colloquium, describing it as a platform that blends celebration with intellectual engagement and moral reflection.
The colloquium ended with panel discussions and prayers, with participants echoing the call for ethical renewal and responsible citizenship amid Nigeria’s ongoing uncertainty.
